Guerrilla Games' Horizon Multiplayer: A Million-Player Ambitions or a Preemptive Strike?
Guerrilla Games' upcoming Horizon multiplayer game is generating significant buzz, with recent hints suggesting ambitious player projections or perhaps a cautious approach to avoid launch-day server issues.
A recent job posting for a Senior Platform Engineer reveals a requirement for "proven experience building and operating multi-service, 1M+ user globally distributed systems." This strongly suggests Guerrilla anticipates a player base exceeding one million, showcasing confidence in the game's appeal. The focus on robust live-service infrastructure capable of handling this scale further reinforces this interpretation.
However, this could also be a proactive measure to prevent a repeat of the Helldivers 2 launch, which experienced significant server strain due to unexpectedly high player numbers. Guerrilla may be prioritizing a smooth launch experience, learning from past challenges. While the Horizon multiplayer game's success isn't guaranteed to mirror Helldivers 2, preparing for high demand is a prudent strategy.
The Horizon multiplayer project, rumored for years, has been in development for a considerable time. Previous job listings dating back to 2018 hinted at its existence. A recent job posting even suggested a new Horizon game release in 2025. Given the anticipated timeline for the next mainline Horizon title, this 2025 release could very well be the multiplayer project. Assuming development is progressing smoothly, a reveal within the year seems plausible. The scale of the infrastructure being built suggests a significant undertaking, and one that Guerrilla is clearly preparing for meticulously.
